Titan Hemp and Beyond: A Sustainable Dream Come True

We’ve all heard the call for a hemp revolution—everything from replacing our paper and cotton clothing to the powder in our protein shakes; even switching composite plastics to hemp or some variation thereof. Many have gone as far as to say that hemp could save the world. And they’re not wrong. After all, hemp has a seemingly never-ending list of uses that only grows larger by the day. For example, it cleans and nurtures the soil it grows in, matures in as little as three to four months, is naturally resistant to pests, molds and mildews, and could effectively replace multiple heavily polluting industries. If all this is true, however, and Jack Herer illuminated the hemp-laden path of the future 32 years ago, why the hell isn’t everything hemp? Why are we still making cotton clothes, clear-cutting forests for lumber, and worst of all, making tons of plastic each year that cannot biodegrade, be recycled or largely even reused?

Now this is where most would expect a rant about The Man keeping us down. Not to say those arguments don’t have some validity, but there’s a simpler problem holding hemp back: production. Everyone wants hemp, but affordable hemp isn’t currently available. Without an existing large-scale hemp production industry, processing and final products are substantially more expensive than less sustainable products. And as we all know, price is king. Without a way to get rid of hemp, farmers aren’t incentivized to grow it, so unless a government or massive corporation steps in, it almost seems like an impossible problem—to most.

What if you could unite Thailand’s thirst for sustainable agriculture and a higher GDP with Western manufacturing and consumerism? Imagine connecting 4,000 farmers over 350,000 acres of land to grow industrial hemp, simultaneously combining existing technologies in hemp graphene, bio-plastics, bio-fuel and more with the primary producers and purchasers in need of said goods. Going green is in vogue, but so far no one has been able to deliver a reasonable, sustainably-minded business model.

Titan Hemp, a Seed to Sale™ hemp company and their sister company, Titan Bioplastics’ a bio-composite company, have bridged this gap. Uniting decades of experience in global alliances, distribution, bio science and brand development, they saw over the fog of red tape. While most hemp companies focus on marketing the final product, they neglect to highlight the green replacement capabilities hemp has long been championed for. By pairing a scalable industrial production and processing model with the support for scientific advancements, Titan Hemp and Titan Bioplastics will provide industry leaders with a sustainable alternative that’s price equivalent, even competitive.

Most businesses start from the ground up. In the case of hemp, a traditional business might grow the plant, process it and create hemp-derived products, all with the hope of someday making it big enough to expand their efforts. A typical ‘ground up’ business model doesn’t have a chance against corporate structures like cotton or plastics manufacturing; these big businesses can effectively shut out the competition, and have practically engrained themselves into the fiber of almost everything we purchase.

Plastics manufacturing is a several hundred-billion-dollar industry that’s developed rapidly over the past 15-20 years. Unfortunately, this industry is also the leading cause of material pollution, resulting in as high as 6.3 billion tons of plastic waste since its creation. Along with the need for an ever-adaptable product, substantial investments into the machinery and science of bio-plastic productions are crucial. By providing a one-for-one, interchangeable and sustainable alternative ingredient blend that can be utilized in existing equipment and processes, Titan Hemp and Titan Bioplastics effectively replace unsustainable products and processes with sustainable ones.

Amy Ansel and Tanya Hart, Titan Hemp co-founders, have a way of seeing through problems that have held up generations of hemp activists. They combined their entrepreneurial spirits with decades of experience, pairing the corporate world with international connections. Each possessing their own specific assets and abilities, the duo is unstoppable—and it shows in their success. Barely a year and a half has passed since embarking on the project, yet these two women have unfolded a juggernaut of a mission.

Now back to Thailand. Titan Hemp has secured an exclusive Alliance Partnership with True Hmong Global, representatives of Highland Research and Development Institute (HRDI) and True Hmong’s 4,000 locally contracted farmers, to grow up to one million acres of industrial hemp annually. This will make Thailand the largest hemp-producing country in the world before they even achieve 50% growth capacity. Because of Thailand’s specific hemp phenotype, which is bred to finish quickly, the crop can be cycled three times annually in the tropical climate, allowing farmers full-time, year-round work. Not to mention, farmers make more money per acre, yet another incentive to grow hemp at the local level. The HRDI was created by the Royal Program as a governance over the nation’s industrial hemp program, based on Queen Sirikit’s 2003 initiative to monetize industrial hemp, while simultaneously working towards the minimization of chemical use in farming and manufacturing. After 13 years of slow growth and movement, thanks to Titan Hemp, the project is finally underway. With this said, Titan isn’t stopping in Thailand, they are continually developing industrial hemp pipelines, including within the USA, Uruguay, Peru, EU and Canada.

With projects moving forward (and quickly opening a new market), Titan has also directed their energies toward development partnerships, like with one of the world’s leading bio composite scientists, David Abecassis and their JV, Titan Bioplastics. Perhaps the most exciting opportunities available are in the production of hemp plastic composites and hemp graphene. Graphene is a strong, atom-thick layer of carbon with potential uses for improved performance in solar panels, water purification systems, batteries, touch screens and above all, super capacitors. Current graphene production costs are barely affordable on a research level at $2,000/g (roughly $1.8 Billion/ton), whereas hemp bio-waste graphene can be produced at a measly cost of $5,000/ton. Titan’s affordable and sustainable hemp supply allows the exploration of this technology on a whole new plane.

We may be 32 years late to Jack Herer’s hemp revolution, but it’s better late than never. Titan Hemp and Titan Bioplastics are aligning hemp production and manufacturing with consumer-demanded products and research—the major stumbling block that has held back industrial hemp. Instead of focusing on a single problem or solution, these two women looked beyond to what could be and built from there. The advancement of the hemp industry in technologies, production and consumer goods will quickly begin to share a common thread, and I believe it will start with Titan.

I believe you can better understand the vision and direction of a company when you know who’s standing behind it. The lifelong dedication and trajectory of these two women gives as much (or more) virtue to their works as the noble mission behind it.

Amy Ansel:

In the early ‘90s, Amy received an internship with Microsoft straight out of high school. Her passion for technology quickly developed into a career managing global partnerships both for and with Microsoft. While fulfilled and challenged by her career, Amy knew it was time for a change. As a Washington native and long-time Seattleite, she boldly ventured into the cannabis and hemp space: Amy became the first female voice on AM radio reporting about the cannabis industry, and has continued to open doors and minds ever since. Her experiences abroad and exponential success in technology, alongside her hemp advocacy, gave birth to the seeds of Titan Hemp.

Tanya Hart:

Tanya is a native of the UK, but has spent a lifetime in the US, with nearly three decades working in the wine industry. She built a number of successful businesses, including a chain of fine wine shops and a restaurant, consulted, travelled extensively, and appeared regularly on local Chicago TV as a wine expert. Tanya moved her family from Chicago to Seattle in 2014 to be close to family. Like many hemp entrepreneurs, Tanya’s passion for the product opened doors, and her drive and vision for a global environmental agenda around hemp, earned her recognition. Tanya’s brother introduced her to Amy and recognizing the strength of their business backgrounds and vision, they became fast friends and business partners.

As a lifestyle publication, DOPE Magazine is dedicated to creating purposeful, relevant conversations. When we printed our inaugural issue in 2011 we positioned ourselves in the cannabis arena as a team of professionals determined to normalize the plant. While cannabis remains the central theme of our brand, 2017 has marked a turning point in our progression. We’ve built a steadfast framework of inclusivity when speaking about gender, race, class, politics, family and culture—with the ethos DEFEND.